Exhibition-drawer



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1;

' A. L. ADAMS.

EXHIBITION DRAWER.

No. 336,615. Patented Feb. 23, 1886.

W KM W (No-Model. 3 Shets-Sheet 2.

A. L. ADAMS.

EXHIBITION DRAWER.

N0. 336,615. Patented F eb. 23, 1886.

' $448M MM N. PETERS, Phnin-Lilhogmpher. Wnhingion. nr.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(Nb Model.)

A. L. ADAMS. EXHIBITION DRAWER.

No. 336,615. Patented Feb. 23, 1886.

N ETERS. Fhnlo-Lilhngnpher, Wnhiuglnn. D. (L

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABE LINCOLN ADAMS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

EXHIBITION-DRAWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,615, dated February 23 1886.

Application filed July 5, 1984.

To (1 whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABE LINeoLN ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county ofFairfield and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Exhibition-Drawers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is an improvement on the invent-ion shown and described in my former patent, granted April 15, 1884, No. 296,905.

The object of my present inventionis to simplify and improve the construction of this class of devices, and with this end in view I have devised the simple and novel construction, which I will proceed to describe, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective showing the d rawers detached and in their opened position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing a series of sets of drawers as in the fixtures of a store, the two end sets being shown asin place, with the center set drawn out and opened. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the open drawers, as in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing a single set of drawers arranged in ahanging bracket. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation showing aset of my improved drawers arranged in acase, and especially adapted for use as atraveling salesmans trunk or chest, folding supports being provided to raise it from the fioor when the drawers are in their opened position. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail illustrating one of the slides in the form shown in Figs. 2and 3. Fig. Sis a detail sectional view illustrating the drawer, slides, and vertical partition between the sets of drawers, as in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 9 is a detail illustrating the springcatch for holding the supports or rests open or closed. Fig. 10 is an end view of the slide, showing the turnbutton; and Fig. 11 is a detail illustrating the flanges.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A represents the drawers, ating-levers.

and B the oper- These levers are in fact a lazy Serial X0. 136, 08. (No mode.)

tongs, and have the ordinary action of this system of levers, except that one lever of each pair-that is to say, one entire set of leversis secured to the side of the drawer corresponding thereto by nails or screws H, as shown in the drawings, so that when the set of drawers is opened out without being re moved from the fixture, those above the center drawer move obliquely in one direction or the other, and those below the center drawer move obliquely in the opposite direction, the center drawer remaining stationary.

An important feature of my present invention is that the drawers are readily detachable from the fixtures, and the levers are so arranged as to close together, thus permitting of the drawers lying nearly fiat, as shown in Fig. 1, the bottom of each drawer resting upon the edge of the one directly back of it, in which position the drawers are firmly held, and at the same time the contents of each is fully exposed to view.

C represents a shelf or the top of a fixture, and D the vertical partitions bet-ween the sets of drawers. The side pieces of the drawers are provided with grooves A, which engage splines E on slides E. These slides are provided with slots E and A represents a pin, which projects from the side of the drawer and engages slot E in the slide. The outer end of slot E is closed by a turn button, F, pivoted at the top of the slide.

The dotted linesin Fig. 10indicate the turnbutton moved out of its normalposition,which enables me to remove the drawers from the.

fixtures, the slides remaining in place, being held there bya countersunk pin or screw, G, which passes through slot E and into the partition D.

In drawing out the drawers from the case the action is as follows: Pin A slides in slot E until it comes against the turn-button. This picks up the slide. which moves out until the drawers are free from the casing, when they may be thrown into their fully-opened position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

L in Fig. 4. represents a hanging bracket or frame having grooved side pieces, L, projecting toward the front. Splines upon the edges of the middle drawer engage the grooves in the side pieces, so that the drawers may be removed from the fixture, if desired. YVith this style of fixture the drawers of course do not require to be drawn out to be opened. No lock or catch of any sort is required to hold the drawers in theiropened position. To hold them in their closed position, I. use any ordinary well-known means, which I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate.

In the form shown in Figs. 5and6 I merely use sufficient frame-work to give firm support indicated in Figs. 5 and 6.

to the middle drawer, which is of course stationary in all of the different forms until the set is removed from the fixtures.

M represents the back piece, and N side pieces, which may of course be of any suitable form or material. In this form I preferably arrange the operating-levers between the ends of the drawers and the end pieces of the frame work, in order to protect them when used as a trunk in traveling.

0 represents supports hinged to the bottom of the side pieces, which I use to raise the frame-work from the floor when the drawers are to be opened. These supports may be held in their opened and closed positions in any suitable manner; but I preferably use the support shown in Fig.5 and in detail in Fig. 9.

P P represent a pair of arms pivoted, re spectively, to the back piece, M, and to the end of the support or rest, and also near their opposite ends to each other, as at Q.

R is a spring-catch having side flanges, It, as shown, which is pivoted to either of the arms.

When thesupports are to be held in their lowered position, the parts are placed as in Fig. 5that is, the arms are extended in line with each other. One of the arms is made to overlap the other considerably at the pivotal point, so that'the side flanges, R, of the catch will pass outside of the arms P P, thus holding them in their extended position, as "Where the sup ports are to be held in their closed position.

e., lying against the bottom of the under drawer-the arms are folded together,and one of the flanges It springs into a slot, P in one of the arms, (see Fig. 9,) thus holding the parts firmly in that position.

S represents handles by which the whole set is drawn out or lifted in carrying about.

I do not of course desire to limit myself to the exact details shown, as it is obvious that they may be varied within reasonable limits without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. The combination, with a set of drawers, ofalazytongs system of levers at each end thereof, one lever in each pair being secured to its correspondingdrawer by nails or screws H, as shown, whereby the drawers are securely held together, but may be opened out until the edge of each drawer rests on the edge of 6 the one behind it.

2. The combination, substantially as here inbefore set forth, of the drawers, the operating-levers at both ends thereof, one lever in each pair being secured to a drawer, and suitable frame-work in which the drawers are adapted to slide.

3. The drawers, operating-levers atthe ends thereof,and slides engaging the middle drawer and having a turn-button, which permits the drawers to be attached or detached, in combination with suitable frame-work to which the slides are secured and into which the drawers are adapted to slide.

4. Drawers A, having pin A" and operatinglevers secured thereto, as at H, and slide E, having slots EE, and turn-button F, in combination with suitable fixtures to which the slides are secured, as shown.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABE LINCOLN ADAMS.

Vitnesses:

A. M. Woos'rER, A. B. FAIROHILD. 

